Tutorial

I thought it would be fun to document the process of creating a tile picture so I took photos of the work I did on the sunflower tiles. The first step is to start with a clean bisque tile. Draw your design onto the tile lightly with a pencil. The lead will disappear during firing. In this case I am working from a photograph.






I mix my glazes like paint to achieve the colors I desire. Since glaze does not look like the final fired colors they will become, you have to be aware of the fired color they will achieve, and that comes with practice.


Three coats are needed to achieve a deep rich color. Each coat must dry before the next is added. I decided to take some artistic license and make the vase blue, as well as changing the flowers and vegetables a bit.



When you are satisfied with the final design, and it is completely dry, it is time to do three coats of overglaze. The overglaze will look opaque, and completely cover the design under it. Once all three coats are dry, the tiles can be fired.


See this tile picture in the next post for the final fired results!